Railway-rail.



G. VOLZ.

RAILWAY HAIL.

APPLICATION min NovK 2. |91?,

Fate/umd Jun@ 4L, F318.

p ;1 radin r arriba GEORGE VOLZ, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO 'VOLZ-GUILD COMPANY, INC., OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

RAILWAY-RAIL.

Patented J une a, 1918.

`Application filed November 2, 1917. Serial N o. 199,805.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it knownthat I, GEORGE VoLz, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the `county of Erie and State of New York, have` invented new and useful Improvements in Railway-Rails, of which `the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a railway rail and more particularly to a rail which is constructed of a plurality of longitudinal sections arranged side by side and secured together with a key between the opposing sides of these sections which operate to hold the same against yvertical displacement relatively to each other.

It is theobject of this invention to produce a rail of this type which can 'be easily and economically rolled, to provide means Afoi-'interlocking the rail sections which are arranged side by side so as to prevent vertical displacement relatively to each other and still insure a rm engagement of these rail sections so as to form a reliable support for the wheels running over the same, and also to provide eiiicient, practical and ineX- pensive means whereby the rail sections are secured together and still permitted .to move lengthwise relatively to each other in order to adapt themselves to changes in temperature.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation, partly in section, of part of a railway rail constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section, on an enlarged scale, taken on line 3 3, Fig. l. Fig. l is a frag mentary horizontal section, on an enlarged scale, taken on line 4 4, Fig. l.

Similar lcharacters `of reference refer to y grooves. A lateral clearance space 13 is thus an upright web or stem-section l, a head or ball section 2 arranged at the upper edge of the web section and a base or flange-section 3 arranged at the lower edge of the web section. Each of these rail sections has its inner side provided within its head portion or section with a longitudinal locking groove 4, an upper bearing `face 5 between said .bearing face receding from the plane of the upper and lower bearing faces. ln assembling two of such rail sections, the same are placed side by side with their corresponding upper and lower bearing faces engag ing with each other while the intermediate parts of the inner sides of these rail sections are disengaged from each other.` Preparatory to' connecting the rail sections a longitudinal locking key or rod 8, preferably round in cross section as shown, is interposed between the inner sides of the same which key is arranged partly in the locking groove of one rail section and partly in the locking groove of the other railsection so that it bridges the joint between the upper parts of these rail sections and holds the same reliably against vertical displacement relatively to each other.

Any suitable means may be employed for connecting the rail sections with each other, but those that are shown in the drawings are preferred and comprise a plurality of coupling bolts which pass with their bodies or Shanks 9 horizontally and transversely through corresponding openings 10 in the web sections of the rail sections while the head ll of the same bears against the outside -of one websection and its nut l2 bears against the outer side of the companion web section.

The combined depths of the two grooves of opposing rail sections are preferably greater than the diameter of the key or locking rod which is arranged within these provided between the key and the bottom of these grooves which clearance together with the receding faces 7 on the central parts of the inner sides of the rail sections causes the corresponding upper and lower bearing faces of these rail sections to be positively engaged with each other upon tightening the coupling bolts and thus insure a smooth, even and continuous bearing surface 'on the top and bottom of the completed rail for engagement with the wheels which run over the same andthe ties upon which the rail rests. The width of the Vgrooves in the rail sections is however only equal to the diameter of the locking key so that a firm"J engagement between the upper and lower sides of this key or rod and the lower and upper parts of these grooves is obtained, thereby positively interlocking these 'ail sections against vertical movement relatively to each other and maintaining the same even at the top and bottom of the rail.

In assembling a plurality of such rail sections for producing a railway, the joints la between the several sections of the rail on one side thereof are transversely out of line with the joints 14 of the several sections on the opposite side of the rail, or in other words, the abutting ends of the two sets kof rail sections are staggered, as shown in Fig. 2, whereby practically continuous or uninterrupted surfaces are provided at the top and bottom of the rail, thereby eliminating the objections incident to the solid rails with square abutting j oints such as have been in common use heretofore.

By providing the inner sides of the rail sections with recessed portions 7 between Ithe locking grooves and the lower bearing faces, the tightening of the coupling bolts will not cause the upper bearing faces to spring apart and form a gap or slit in the upper side of the rail as would be liable to occur if the rail sections were permitted to engage with each other at the points 15 immediately below the grooves, inasmuch as such tightening of the bolts under such unfavorable conditions, would be liable to cause the rail sections to turn on the points l5 as fulcruins if they engage with each other and produce a separation of the rail sections at the top thereof.

By making the key or locking rod somewhat smaller in diameter than the combined depth of the grooves, this key is also prevented from operating as a fulcrum upon which the rail sections are liable to turn relatively to each other upon tightening the coupling bolts and thereby prevent forming a slit or gap between the rail sections at the top thereof.

Each of the openings 10 in the web section is preferably slotted or elongated in a direction lengthwise of the rail and the shank or body of each coupling bolt passes with `a cylindrical part thereof adjacent to its nut through one opening of a correspond-A ing pair, while an elongated or {iattened neck portion 1G of this shank adjacent to the head o-f the bolt engages with the companion elongated opening of said pair, as shown in Figs. l, 3 and l. By this means the shank and head of each bolt are held against turning while applying the nut thereto, 'so as to facilitate the assembling of the rail sections and a longitudinal play or slack space is provided between each bolt shank and one of the rail sections through which' it passes, thereby permitting the several rail sections to expand and contract lengthwise during changes in temperature without liability of shearing olf these coupling bolts.

The sections of this rail can be rolled easily, expeditiously and economically by the means heretofore employed for making one-`piece rails. Owing to the gap between the central parts of the rail section the amount of metal employed in the manufacture of the same is less than a solid rail without however sacrificing any strength inasmuch as the web section of each rail section is arranged on one side of a center line drawn through the assembled rail and the L two rail sections when coupled practically form a solid rail. j

By reason of the two rail sections being symmetrical in form, it is possible to use either section for the inner or the outer side of the rail, thereby permitting of reversing the rail sections and replacing a worn section with an unworn section whereb the life of the rail is materially prolonge and a considerable economy in the cost of maintenance of the railway is possible.

I claim as my invention:

1. A rail comprising two like longitudinal sections each of which is provided 'on its i,

inner sides with a longitudinal groove an upper bearing face above said groove and a lower bear-ing face at a distance below said groove, and that part of the inner side of each rail section between said groove and lower bearing face receding lrelative to the` upper and lower bearing faces thereof, said rail sections being assembled with their corresponding upper and lower bearing lfaces engaging each other, a key arranged in both grooves of said rail sections, and a bolt connecting said rail sections between said grooves and lower bearing faces.

2. A rail comprising two like longitudinal sections each of which is provided on its N inner side with a longitudinal groove, ani upper bearing face above said groove and a lower bearing face at a distance below said groove, and that part of the inner side of each rail section between said groove and j l l' lower bearing face receding relative to the upper and lower bearing faces thereof, said rail sections being assembled with their corresponding upper and` lower bearing faces engaging each other, a key arranged in both j grooves of said rail sections, and a bolt con#V4 necting said rail sections between said grooves and lower bearing faces, the combined depth of said grooves being greater than the diameter of said key.

3. A rail comprising two like longitudinal` sections each of which is provided on its inner side with a 'longitudinal groove, an upper bearing face "above said groove and a. lower hearing face at a distance below said groove, and that part of the inner side of each rail section between said groove and lower bearing face receding relative to the upper and lower bearing faces thereof, said rail sections being assembled with their corresponding upper and lower bearing faces engaging each other, a key arranged in both grooves of said rail sections, and a bolt connecting said rail sections between said groove and lower bearin faces, said rail sections being provided with corresponding longitudinal slots, and each of said bolts having a circular part engaging one of a pair of corresponding slots and an elongated part engaging the companion slots of said art. p 4:. A rail comprising two like longitudinal sections each of which has an upright web section, a head section at the upper edge of the web section, a base section at the lower edge of the web section, a longitudinal groove on the inner side of said head section, an upper bearin face on the inner side of each rail section a ove said groove and a lower bearing face on the inner side of each rail section adjacent to the base section thereof, the inner side of each rail section between said groove and lower bearing face receding relative tof said upper and lower bearing faces, said rail sections being assembled with their corresponding upper and lower bearing facesengaging each other while those parts of their inner sides intermediate of said upper and lower bearing faces are disengaged from each other, a key arranged in the grooves of both of said rail sections, and a bolt connecting the web sections of said rail sections between the grooves and the lower bearing faces thereof.

GEORGE VOLZ.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

